A HARD TALE
It used to be an anomaly: in this modern world of efficient-pedalling dual suspension MTBs that comfortably negotiate terrain ranging from baby-smooth XC/Flow trails through to punishing enduro and even downhill-esque descents, it was rare that you saw a hardtail out on the trails.
Well, at least it was until the past couple of years, anyway. The resurgence of hardtail MTBs – most notably those built out of ‘oldschool’ steel – has come on fast; Norco’s Torrent HT, Kona’s monster Honzo ESD are just two of the latest, joining brands such as UK-based Cotic and Stanton, along with Canada’s highly regarded Chromag, in offering bikes that are tough, fast, forgiving and up for anything.
The combo of a bike frame made from a material regarded as ancient by the ignorant, with a modern drivetrain (think: single-ring 1x12), forgiving wheels (again, notably in 29-inch size), dropper posts, long-travel forks and the modern MTB trend of long, low and slack geometry, and suddenly you have a bang-for-your-bucks rig that is super-tough, super-simple to work on, with no pivots, rear shock, etc., and just simple, awesome fun.
And it was this that led me to head down the
